


Starship Captain, Part II: Starfleet Academy (2323-2327)

by mrpicard



Series: Starship Captain [2]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Academy Era, F/M, Gen, M/M, Starfleet Academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-23
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 00:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1668212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean-Luc Picard's Starfleet Academy years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

_2323_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_   
  
  


"Hey! You're trampling my flowers!"  
  
Jean-Luc looked at his feet, and, sure enough, he _had_ just stepped on two small red flowers.  
  
"Stop staring at them and move!"  
  
He took a step back and looked at the cranky old man who had been yelling at him. "I'm sorry… I… umm…"  
  
"Of course you are. That won't bring back the poor flowers, though," the old man growled. "Who are you, anyway?"  
  
"Cadet Jean-Luc Picard."  
  
"Ah. My name's Boothby. I'm the groundskeeper here. And now, about these flowers -"  
  
"I'll get you new ones," Jean-Luc said quickly.  
  
"Well that's the first thing I hear from you that actually sounds reasonable." Boothby glared at him. "And now get out of my way. I need to remove the poor flowers."  
  
"Again, I'm really sorry, Mr. Boothby."  
  
"Boothby. Just Boothby."  
  
"Alright then, Boothby. I -"  
  
"Yes, yes, yes. I know. Didn't I tell you to get out of my way?"  
  
"Umm. Yes. Of course."

Jean-Luc slowly turned around and walked away - and never saw the broad smile on Boothby's face.


	2. Chapter 2

 

_2323_   
_Danula II_

 

 

J.P. Hanson looked at the finish line, fully aware that he was most likely about to witness a moment in history: According to the various cameras that had been placed next to the track, one single male cadet was on his way to achieve something no other freshman cadet had ever managed: To win the Starfleet Academy marathon.  
  
It would not go on like this, however, Hanson was sure of it. The cadet would collapse somewhere between the last camera and the finish line.  
  
A cheer rose from the people next to him and Hanson looked away from the finish line and at the track.  
  
One single person was steadily making his or her way towards the finish line.  
  
Hanson stood up and few seconds later he saw that it was a young man with short brown hair: The freshman cadet. He was clearly almost out of breath and yet he kept on running - it seemed like he was forcing his body into obeying his commands, no matter what, no matter how.  
  
He kept on running and running; and then he crossed the finish line.  
  
Hanson left his place and started to walk towards the crowd that had already begun to gather around the young man.

He _had_ to get to know him.  
  
Now.  



	3. Chapter 3

_2324_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_

 

 

 

Jean-Luc looked at the chronometer on the lecture hall wall and sighed.

He had no idea why he was being forced into this - an archaeology class? What a waste of time! He wanted to learn about the present and perhaps also the future, not the past, and yet Starfleet Academy insisted on a second semester archaeology class.  
  
And that professor... what was his name again? Right, Galen. Where was he, anyway? He was late.  
  
Jean-Luc was just about get up and leave when an odd-looking short man entered the lecture hall, walked up to the podium, looked around and then cleared his throat.  
  
The noise inside the lecture hall ceased.  
  
"Good morning, everyone. I am Professor Galen. And _you_ are all here because you are being forced into it." He put on a pair of glasses and then continued. "I'm not going to waste my time with those of you who think they don't need to know anything about archaeology." He adjusted his glasses. "I've made the script for this lecture available for download in the Academy's internal database. You can get it from there and then only show up for the final exam. I won't ask any questions on things that aren't in that script." He looked around again. "I'm doing this because I only want people in here who are really interested. Those who aren't - feel free to leave."  
  
The cadets looked at each other in complete and utter astonishment. Of course they had all heard stories about Professor Galen and his unorthodox methods, but _this_...?  
  
Was he serious?  
  
Galen waved his hand. "Go ahead. Leave. I won't stop you."  
  
A few cadets got up slowly, and then a few more.  
  
And more.  
  
Jean-Luc, however, remained where he was.  
  
He had no idea why.


	4. Chapter 4

_2325_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_

 

The young man in Jean-Luc's room was not only rather attractive but also rather upset. "I really hate you, you know. You've been cheating on me all along with that girl from the chemistry lab and I never noticed. Guess it serves me right, though, I should've known better than getting involved with you. Your reputation _was_ lousy enough."  
  
Jean-Luc smiled sheepishly. "Michael, I... um... I can explain..."  
  
"Oh, shut up,"  Michael snapped. "I don't even want to _hear_ your excuses. I'm through with you." He turned and marched out of the room.  
  
Jean-Luc sighed, he really liked Michael, but then, he also really liked a _lot_ of others - the girl from the chemistry lab, for example.  
  
"He's right, you know," his best friend Marta Batanides said from behind him.  
  
He looked at her. "Mmm?"  
  
"Your reputation _is_ lousy. I remember what you were like when we first met. You were shy, quiet and afraid to even ask a man or a woman out. And now _look_ at you."  
  
Jean-Luc shrugged. " I've grown up. Come to my senses."  
  
"I think it's more like you've _lost_ them," she retorted.

He smiled his most charming smile. "Come on, Marta. I'm not _that_ bad."

She shook her head. "No... you're _worse_."

He smiled even more broadly and was not surprised to see that Marta looked away quickly - he knew that she liked him.

A lot.  
  
And… what was even worse was the fact that _he_ liked _her_ , too.  
  
A lot.


	5. Chapter 5

 

_2326_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_

 

 

Jean-Luc knew he was supposed to study for his upcoming organic chemistry exam, but at this point he couldn't concentrate on _anything_.  
  
And it was all because of _her_.  
  
He was sitting under Boothby's beloved elm tree (into which he had recently carved the initials of _her_ name and gotten into a lot of trouble when Boothby had caught him), holding a PADD with the latest chemistry notes.

But... notes were the _last_ thing he was interested in right now.

He closed his eyes and his thoughts were with _her_ almost immediately.

She was much older than he was - or so she claimed. She didn't exactly _look_ it, however, which was why he wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. In fact, he wasn't sure about a lot of things when it came to her; he didn't know where she lived, where she was from or even what she was _doing_ at Starfleet Academy. She wasn't a professor or an officer - in fact, no one except him seemed to even _know_ her.

But then, all of this only added to the mystery that surrounded her. It made her even more attractive - and him only more eager to fully explore the true nature of the relationship that the two of them seemed to have.

Which was why, during their last meeting, he had tried to kiss her.

She he had pushed him away almost immediately. "No. Don't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"You're not ready," she had said.  
  
"Not ready for what?"  
  
"For our friendship."  
  
"Adrienne, it's _not_ just friendship I want from you."  
  
"I know. That's precisely what I mean."  
  
He had looked at her in confusion, but she had simply stood up and smiled at him, using this mysterious, knowing smile of hers that he found to be so irresistible. "I'd better go now."  
  
Jean-Luc had not given up, of course. "Can we meet again tomorrow?"  
  
"No."  
  
"The day after tomorrow, then?"  
  
"I will contact you," she had said and then she had simply walked away.  
  
The PADD beeped once and Jean-Luc opened his eyes, cursing himself for daydreaming yet again - if he continued like this, he _would_ fail that damn organic chemistry class.

' _You have **1** new message._ '

He tapped the small screen.

 

' _Jean-Luc,_  
  
 _I'm sorry, but I have to leave. Please, don't try to find me - I will find **you** when the time has come **.** I promise you we'll meet again - and then you will be old enough to understand why I had to go. __I don't blame you for anything, it was **my** mistake to expect you to be something you're not - well, not **yet**._  
  
 _One more thing you deserve to know: My name is not Adrienne Flint._  
  
 _My actual name is Guinan.'_


	6. Chapter 6

_2326_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_

 

Jean-Luc walked into the men's rest room and rubbed his hands in anticipation. So far, his plan had worked – no one had seen him hiding the tricorder in here the day before _and_ no one was going to see it now either.

He grinned and pulled the tricorder out from under the sink. Who needed studying, anyway? He would simply look at the relevant information, memorize some of it and go back to the lecture hall and finish the exam in no ti-  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Jean-Luc almost dropped the tricorder – but then he recognized the voice and slowly turned around. "Boothby! Don't sneak up on me like that!"  
  
"I asked you what you're doing," the old man repeated calmly.  
  
Jean-Luc grinned and raised his hand with the tricorder in it. "What does it look like?"  
  
"It looks like as if you're about to make a very big mistake. And that's why I'm here to stop you."  
  
Jean-Luc stared at the groundskeeper. "What?"  
  
"You will give me that tricorder and then you will go back and finish your exam."  
  
"I won't be _able_ to finish it without the information on this tricorder," Jean-Luc said impatiently. "And now leave me alone - it'll look suspicious if I'm gone for too long."  
  
Boothby pointed at the communications device on his belt. "I _will_ alert them if you activate that tricorder."  
  
Jean-Luc stared at him, realization of the fact that the old groundskeeper was actually serious only now dawning on him. "I thought you were my friend...!"  
  
"I _am_. That's precisely why I'm stopping you. You're an excellent student, Cadet Picard. You don't _need_ to cheat. You simply need to come to your senses and focus on your studies. Now, give me that tricorder."  
  
Jean-Luc couldn't believe what he was hearing - this vicious, mean-spirited old man actually had the _nerve_ to interfere with _his_ career?!

"Well...?"

Jean-Luc glared at Boothby, and for a brief moment actually considered punching him. Then, however, he took a deep breath and handed him the tricorder.  
  
"You've made the right decision," the groundskeeper said. "And, one day, you will realize that and be grateful that I stopped you."  
  
Jean-Luc simply stared at him, feeling nothing but complete and utter rage.  
  
Boothby had betrayed him.

And he would _never_ forgive him for it.


	7. Chapter 7

_2327_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_

 

 

"Mister Picard? Could you come here for a minute?"  
  
Jean-Luc walked up to the podium. "Yes, Professor?"   
  
"I took a look at your final archaeology exam results last night. Frankly, I liked what I saw."  
  
Jean-Luc frowned – final exam results were kept a total secret until graduation day, and no professor in his or her right mind would risk talking about them.  
  
Except Professor Richard Galen, of course.   
  
"I've told you many times - you should study archaeology. You're very, very talented. In fact, with final exam results like the ones you have, I could help you become the best archaeologist in the entire Federation. But, of course, only if you quit your starship dreams."  
  
Jean-Luc sighed softly – it _was_ a relief to hear that he had passed the archaeology part of things, but still...   
  
"I can't, Professor," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I love archaeology and I am very interested in it - but what I really want to do is serve aboard a starship. You of all people know how hard I fought for all this."  
  
"I do, which is why I'm offering you this chance to be something even _better_ than a member of Starfleet."  
  
"Professor, there _is_ nothing better than Starfleet. Not for me."  
  
"Is that your final word on this subject?"  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"Then I guess that will be all for now, Mister Picard."


	8. Chapter 8

_2327_   
_Starfleet Academy, San Francisco_

 

  
The gray-haired admiral behind the podium of Starfleet Academy's biggest lecture hall looked around and smiled when he saw how excited the graduates behind him were. Many of them were cheering as loudly as the audience was, and who could blame them – they _had_ just been handed their graduation certificates, after all.  
  
Among them was, of course, Jean-Luc Picard.  
  
 _Ensign_ Jean-Luc Picard, to be precise.  
  
Jean-Luc focused his gaze on the audience in order to see if his mother had found a good seat, and, sure enough, there she was, right in the middle of the third row. Neither Robert nor his father had come, but then, he wouldn't have wanted to see either of them anyway.  
  
Yvette raised her hand, smiled and waved while her other hand was holding a handkerchief with which she was wiping tears of pride from her eyes - this _was_ quite an emotional moment.  
  
Jean-Luc waved back and smiled even more.  
  
He had made it.  
  
He was a Starfleet officer.


End file.
